Mayor Derek Corrigan is raising concerns about consultation in respect to Kinder Morgan's plan to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs oil from Alberta to Burnaby.
"We're obviously concerned," Corrigan said. "We're afraid as we're moving down the line that it's becoming more and more set in stone what the results will be."
Kinder Morgan recently announced that plans to twin the 1,150-kilometre line are moving forward, following a successful "open season" process, where shippers agreed to long-term binding contracts in the event of expansion.
The company is still working on the project's details and needs National Energy Board approval before going ahead, but there is talk of expanding the Westridge Marine Terminal, where tankers fill up with crude for overseas markets.
Corrigan is concerned about the interests of local residents.
"The idea is this is all about money, it's about the sale of Alberta oil, it's about the government getting taxes, and in their view this is in the national interest, and the concerns of people in Burnaby or North Van or Vancouver don't matter a hill of beans compared to what we see to be large economic interests of the multinational corporations who want access to this oil," he said.
Roughly 90 per cent of gas in the Lower Mainland comes from oil sent down the Trans Mountain pipeline, which has a maximum capacity of 300,000 barrels per day. If the line is fully twinned, capacity could grow to 700,000 barrels, and there would be increased tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet as Asian demand for Canadian crude rises.
"We all know there is a limited amount of oil, and energy self-sufficiency is going to be really important in the future. So this idea of how fast can we get it out of the ground, and how fast can we get it into other countries, might not be in our economic interests," Corrigan said. "They are closing refineries (in Canada), ... but eventually this is going to end up in refineries in China, where I suspect the rules are not going to be as tight as they are here."
Corrigan said residents will also have concerns, especially given the 2007 rupture of Kinder Morgan's pipeline in the Burnaby's Westridge neighbourhood, which sprayed nearby homes with crude oil after a contractor struck the line while digging.
"I know that was a traumatic incident for the residents, but it affected the rest of the city, too, because they saw that what had seemed a fairly benign presence could have a serious impact," he said. "There's no way you can prevent accidents from happening. The question is what do you do when it occurs and have you put in the proper processes and procedures to ensure it doesn't turn into a disaster?"
Corrigan said the city wants to listen reasonably to Kinder Morgan's case.
"We're not slamming the door on this. We just want to be part of the process to be sure we're protecting the interests of our citizens. The problem is when they cut you out of the process, you are forced to make your decision on whether you are going to be supportive or not without all of the information. They've got to make a better effort to explain to the public all of these issues," he said. "It's not just pipes going through a community, it's the larger issue of what's the overall impact. ... We are importing oil by tanker into Eastern Canada and exporting oil by tankers in Western Canada. What's wrong with this picture?"
Kinder Morgan spokesperson Lexa Hobenshield said there will be a chance for the public to have a say.
"With respect to public consultation, and other aspects related to preparing a regulatory application, the process will take 18 months or more. During that time, we anticipate engaging the residents of Burnaby and others interested in expansion. There will be opportunities to obtain more information, ask questions and provide feedback. We have not yet set venues or specific dates and times," she said. "Our consultation process will also be followed by a regulatory review process as well, which typically provides opportunities for public input."
For more on this issue, go to Jennifer Moreau's blog.
